Obituaries : Arthur Spear; Rose to Become Chairman, CEO at Mattel

Arthur Spear, 75, who served as chairman of Mattel Inc. for eight years. Born in Providence, R.I., Spear studied science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. He worked as an engineer at Artisan Metal Products and then Barbelle Manufacturing, both in Boston, and at Heller-Sperry in Pawtucket, R.I., and Revlon in New York City before joining Mattel in 1964. Quickly rising at Mattel, he became vice president of operations in 1965, a director a year later and executive vice president in 1967. In 1973, he was named president and chief executive officer, and four years later won the top spot as chairman as well as CEO. During his tenure as CEO, Mattel’s net sales grew from $281 million in 1973 to $1 billion at his retirement in 1986. Known for mentoring young colleagues and children, Spear sponsored the formation of Shindana in the early 1970s to produce toys for African American youngsters. On Sunday in Los Angeles.